'There's a big
theological debate about the difference between Coteaux de Varois en
Provence and Coteaux de Provence,' says Véronique Goupy (pictured
below) of Domaine de Fontlade, which is located in the former
appellation. 'We are 350 m above sea level, inland from the ocean,
so we have cool nights. The Coteaux de Provence appellation is close
to the sea so the temperature never goes down. So Coteaux de Varois
en Provence gets a lot of freshness and keeps acidity.’ Goupy's
domaine makes both, but the different vineyard plots are separated
just by a road, so the difference isn't significant in this case.

This is an
interesting visit. Goupy is smart and engaging, but the domaine has
a slightly old-fashioned feel to it. The winery is a bit ramshackle.
Despite this, the wines are consistently very good, among the best
we tasted on our trip.

‘The
advent of cold fermentation has changed the taste of Provence rosé,’
says Goupy. 'We are now able
to have much lower levels of sulfites.’ She says that Provence rosé
is a very technical wine. 'The fashion now is to have very pale
rosés, but the aroma is in the skin. If you don't macerate enough
you have no aroma and no colour.' She has help from consultant
winemaker Bernadette Tourrel, who has 15 clients in the region. ‘She
is technically precise and doesn't take no for an answer. People are
very respectful of her.'

Wild boar are a
problem. 'Boars are proliferating here,' says Goupy. 'They eat the
grapes. They start with Syrah because it is sweet. They don't care
about electric fences' Is shooting the answer? 'The permit is very
expensive and young people would rather shoot on video games than
getting up at 4 am.'

There's more to
Provence than just rosé, she emphasizes. 'Varois is a terroir for
whites and reds too.' Overall, there are 40 hectares of vines here
spread over two sites.

Fontlade
Aurelia Prima Rosé 2013 Côtes de Provence, FranceSyrah
and Grenache. Pale pink with some orange notes. Fresh with a hint of
herbiness. Good acidity with cranberry and cherry notes. Nice
freshness and a bit of pepper. Vinous. 90/100